Third-rail electric-railway system.



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THIRD-BAIL ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented m 19, 1908.

Application filed October 30, 1906. Serial No. 341,251.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, CHARLES Kozizsuiic, :L citizen of the United States, and residing at N e York, in the county of New York and 5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in 'lhird-Ruil Eiectriciimlt Systems, of which the lollowing a specification, such as will enable those 5. died in theort to which it oppertmos to make and use the some.

'lhis invention relates to third rail electric railway systems, and particularly to elevated railways of this class, and the OlJjLC-b thereof is to provide on im rovemcnt in this class of 5 railways in which the third rail or conductor,

in connection with which the contact shoes or devices of the cars or motors operate, is composed of sepsrs-te sections which are in circuit only when the contect shoes or dc vices of the cars or motors are bearing thereelectricslcomioction between the separate sections of the third full and the main wire or conductor; and W? b these and other objects in view the invei 9:3..oonsists in the con struction, 'coiubinot an and arrangement of .-r described and portion lsrly pointed out, in the claims appended hereto. 4

This invention is on improvement on that described and claimed by me in a prior applicetio ii liled June it Serial No. 212,770

and is fully disclosed the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms s part, in which the separate parts of my improvement 5 e" s in each of the views, and in whic Figure l n sectioned side view of separate sections of s third mil of on electric railway system and showing one of. the car or motor v s ices or contact devices in connection with one of said sections, together with the circuit forming end closing devices used in connection with said sections; Fig. 2 o sectional view showing one of the contact devices or shoes which I en'iployz its supports and its cir .aui't wire connections; Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing :tmoditicmion: and, Fig. t s. sectional view showing the method of connecting the separate ports of the sep 65 erate sections ott'he third rail, said roil being designated by suitable I which the'insulsting material (2 and c andthe composed of top and bottom members as shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawing forming part of this speciliculion, I have shown at atho sleepers or supports of the third rail b which is composed of separate sections 71 and the said third rail or the separate sections thereof are hollow and compose. of top and bottom members, the bottom members 0 being boxshspcd in cross section, and said bottom members are secured to thc sleepers or supports (L and the said separote sections of the third rail including the top parts I) and bot tom members 0 extend the full length ol tho truck, the rails s of which are shown in Fig. 1.

The box-shamed bottom member 0 of the third mil, or the separate soctionsthereof, are provided with side members (1 having laterally, downwardly. and outwardly directed flanges c, and the top ports 6 of said third rcil, or the so amt-e sections thereof, are provided with diipending and laterally directed flanges I), and between the flanges I) and c is placed insulating nmteriol (i, said insulating material being composed of any suitable substance that can be molded or cast such as glass, porcelain or a composition of shellac and mics, or any similar substance or com iosition. ln casting this insulating historic in position the se erate sections of the third roll are laid on t ieir sides and the insulating material, in o liquid state is poured in between the flanges and c and n this operation the separate parts of the separate sections of the rail are held in proper relative position by being placed in a suitable box or frame, and the openings between the flanges Z2 and c at the inner side of the rail are closed in any suitable way sons to ofiord a space or chamber between the flanges b and The c to receive the insulating material.

object of this construction 1s to form a close connection between the separate parts b and c of the separate sections-of the third rail and at the some time insulate -one of said parts from the other, and in practice the flanges b and c 01 the separate parts of the separate sections of the third mil are providcd'ot their adjacent lures with tongucsor projections b and c shown in Fig. 4, by'mettnsof is securely loclmd-bctwccn the flanges 6 separate parts of the separate sections of the third ruil are tlfiis securely locked together and insulated one from. the other.

At regular intervals within the box-shaped members a of the separate sections of the third rail are placed armature supports e which rest on the bottom of the said box shaped members 0 and are insulated there-.

from as shown at (1 and two of which are em loyed, in practice, in connection with eacli of the third rail sections, those shown being at the adjacent ends of said sections. Each of the armature supports e consists of two pairs of uprights (5 connected by a base plate a insulated from the bottom of the boxshaped members a, and the separate pairs of uprights e range transversely of and beneath the -top arts of the third rail sections, and are provided in their upper ends with notches or recesses c in whichare placed armatures e which range longitudinally of the third rail sections and are vertically movable and provided with pins 2 which rest in the notches or recesses 0 and each of the armatures is rovided with contact points or devices e w ch are secured thereto and over each of which is placed a contact plate or device 6 which is secured to the bottom surface of the top art b of the separate sections of the thir rail. V

The contact parts and devices a and e are preferably composed of brush carbon. 1 also form the additional armature devices 6 in two separate parts 6 connected by a base late or strip e? of some non-magnetic metal preferably of lowest specific gravity such as aluminum whereby the load which is to be lifted by the electro-magnetic shoe device will be a minimum, thus insuring to a certain extent the upward movement of both ends of the armatures at the same time, and thus avoiding a possible cramping tendency in the movement of said armatures.

The contact devices a carried by the armatures e are connected by a wire f running longitudinally of and within the separate parts of the third rail, and running parallel with the track and incased and supported in any desired manner is a main supply wire f which is connected with the wires f by feed wires f 3 provided with switches f The contact shoes or devices connected with the car or motor and which operate in connection with the third rail are shown at g, and in practice each car or motor is provided with two of these shoes or devices, and these shoes or devices are su ported in a vertical position, in the form of construction shown, and each is yoke-shaped in form in cross section and rovided with a roller 9 which constitutes t e main contact device proper and which bears on the top part of the third rail or the sections thereof. Each ofthe contact shoes or devices 9 is also provided in the op-. posite sides thereof and m the opposite end portions thereof with a supplemental contact evic'e g consisting of vertically arranged arms pivoted i1 corresponding vertically ar ed'to bear on the opposite sides of the top parts b of the separate sections of the third rail. The arms 9 are pivoted at g and passing through each of said arms above and below its pivotal support is a headed pin or bolt g", and a spring 9 is employed to force the upper end of said arms outwardly and a corresponding spring 9 to force the lower end thereof inwardly, and it will thus be seen that the arms 9* are adapted to swing laterally and that the hearing or contact heads 9 thereof will always be in contact with the o posite side portions of thethird rail or t e sections thereof, and said opposite side portions of the third rail are grooved longitudinally to receive the heads 9 Connected with each contact shoe or device g is an electromagnet It provided with a top plate if having side lugs or projections h vertically movable in slots it formed in a deending casing h connected with atop plate I i which may be secured to the car or motor in the usual or an referred manner, and the top plate h o' t e electro-magnet h is provided with a vertically arranged member a which passes through a transversely arranged guide '8 in the casing k and around which is laced a spiral spring 6,? which serves to hold t e contact shoe or device g in a depressed position, while permitting of its vertical movement.

In ractice the electro-magnets of the contact s ioes or devices 9 of each car are placed in connection by means of wires L'*'wh1ch are connected with a battery or batteries on the car, not shown, and the electro-magnets h of each car or motor are also provided with a wire i and these wires connect in the usual way with said battery or batteries. Each of the contact shoes or devices 9 of each car or motor is also provided with a stem 7' which extends up through the corresponding electro-magnet and with which is connected a motor wire 9' which is connected in the usual way with the motor on the car.

It will be seen that the electro-magnets h are energized by the battery or batteries on the car only on starting, and after starting by the currentfrom the third rail, and as the car or motor moves along the track and the contact shoesor devices 9 come in contact with the separate third rail sections, the armatures beneath said third rail sections are picked u and assume the position shown at theleft 0 Fig. 1, and the circuit is completed from the ma in wire f 2 throu'gh th e contact devices e, the separate sections "of the third rail, the contact shoes or devices g, and the wires 7'? to the motor on the car, and it will thus be seen that the separate third rail sec- ;tions are never incircuit except when the 888,699 r I a a v contact shoes or devices 9 are resting thereon,

' and the said third rail sections-are made entirely' harmless and no injury is occasioned by coming in contact therewith. It will men'ts herein described may be applied to third rail electric' railway systems of any kind or class and to cars or motors. of any form of construction 'and by my im rovements, I

provide means whereby only t atportion of the third rail over'which the car or motor is passing is energized, and Whereb better contact is made with the third rail and better circuitconnections with'said'railand the operation of the railway or .systemim roved.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a mod' cation, in which the contact shoe or deviceg is provided only with the wheel or roller g ,Wl110h bears on thetop surface of thethird-r'ail, and it will be understood that this 'form of contact shoe or device may be used instead of that shown in Fig. 2,'if desired i i Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: j

1. In a third r'ail electric railway system, a

hollow third rail'dividedinto sections composedoi up er and'lower parts connected \itinsulate fromeach other, armature-supports within said sections'andhaving sepa wi th corros pondin contact .devices.

In a third rai electric railway system, a

hollow third rail divided into sections composed of upper and lower parts connected be understood that the improvelocked.

vided wit biit insulated from each other; armature supports said sections andhaving separate uprights provided with notches or recesses in their upper ends, armatures lying between said uprights and having dpins resting in said notches or recesses, sai" composed of separate parts connected by a tures.

Q 3. In a third rail electric railway system, a

hollow third rail divided into sections com posed of top and bottom members connected ut insulated from each other, armature sup-- ports within said'sections and provided with separate uprights having notches 'or recesses, said armatures being composed of separate parts connected by a plate of non-magnetic conducting material, a carbon contact device connected-with said plate, a correspond ing contact device connected with the top, part of the third rail, and electrical connections for said ar'maturesl i 4. A'hollow third rail for electric railways consisting of top and bottom portions provided. with laterally directed side flanges separated by insulating material, said side armatures being.

plate of nonmagnetic conduct1ng;mat er1a l and electr cal connections for sa d ,armaflanges and insulating material being inter- 5'. A hollow third. rail for electric railways consisting1 of top and bottom portions prolaterally directed side flanges separated by. insulating material, said side flan es and insulating material being interlocked by -a dove-tail construction.

In testimony that I claim th e foregoing as my invention I; have signed my name in presence-of the subscribing witnesses this 27th day of October 1906.

CHARLES KOZESNIK. Witnesses:-

- C. E. MUL EANY,

MAX K. G. GROSSHEIM. 

